Baseball Outs is a fairly creative way to enjoy baseball, which can be boring, let’s admit it. I love baseball and even I think it can be boring at times. But for those that want a new way to enjoy the game, Baseball Outs is here.

Players pick from the nine positions on the field, and whenever an out is made by that position, the player earns what I’ll refer to as a round point in that half-inning’s round. The goal is to get two round points in a half-inning round, in order to win the pool of points for that round. This is where things get complicated because there are overall game points as well. Winning a round gets the player the pool of game points. Now, everyone starts at zero, loses a game point for losing a round, and wins the pool of game points for winning the round. If there is a draw, then the points go to the next round, like in a skins game of golf. The game adapts to up to four players, though three is the ideal: when there’s an even number, the catcher and first base positions are combined into one. For the record, strikeouts and pickoffs count for the pitcher, caught stealings are counted for the catcher, and double plays credit whoever assisted on it, so the third baseman and second baseman would count in a 5-4-3 double play.

The beauty of the game is that it can be played with any regulation baseball game, no matter who’s playing, from MLB down to Little League. It is somewhat based on luck, as it can be hard to predict where the ball is going to go, of course, but that makes it something that’s more accessible to casual users. The rules need to be deciphered, as because outs can be complicated, especially as multiple players are involved in ground outs, though the rule does seem to be that whoever assisted on the out is the one that gets credit for it, so complications can arise. Baseball is a strange sport, after all. But the game is built to where it can be easy to get into even for a non-fan of baseball, but an expert may be needed for some rulings. There’s certainly an element of strategy where players may want to go after the pitcher if a power pitcher is on the mound, or infielders if a ground ball pitcher is pitching. But of course, luck of the draw is important too.

Baseball Outs uses a free-to-play model where coins can be bought to play innings, and more need to be bought to play more innings; I’d like to see a permanent unlock function because it would be nice to play the game without having to worry about in-game currency.

For those that want a new way to be engaged into a baseball game, Baseball Outs is definitely an interesting new way to do so.